Kumasi, Jan 24, GNA - A new agriculture based NGO seeking to embark on massive food crop production in the country has been outdoored in Kumasi.

The NGO, "Farmers' Duties", seek to mobilise the people, especially the youth and engage them in the cultivation of the Ghanaian staple food crops such as plantain, cocoyam, sweet potatoes, yams among others, to boost their production and ensure food security and reduce hunger in the country.

The organisation is of the belief that, hunger is the cause of all social evils in the country and the production of food crops in abundance will help reduce hunger and offer employment to the people. Speaking at a press briefing in Kumasi to outline the vision of the organisation, Mr Kofi Akorsah, spokesperson, said the vision of the organisation was to ensure that the country had enough food stock to feed its citizens.

He said the organisation had already acquired about 6,222 hectares of land from individual farmers and land owners in various parts of the country for its projects.

Mr Akorsah said the organisation would cultivate food crops alongside a cash crop plantation, which would be determined by the individual landowner and after a six-year period where the food crops had been harvested, the land and the cash crop would be handed over to the owner. He said the organisation would engage the youth on the streets, including the physically challenged ones, feed and pay them to sustain their interest in the farms to boost production.

Mr Kwadwo Owusu Agyapong, Board Chairman of the organisation, said it would use an organic fertilizer, which had been developed by the organisation for its food production activities.

He stated that it was shameful that Ghana, at the age of 50, many people find it difficult to get food to eat and attributed the frequent strikes actions by workers in the country to hunger. He said the organisation, which had expert field officers would start about 500 million plantain and 600 million cocoyam nurseries this year for transplanting next year.

Mr Agyapong said individual landowners and farmers in Juaben, Agogo, Juaso, Ahafo-Ano, Atronie, Sankore, Ajumako-Besease, Breman- Asikuma and Tepa, among others had promised to offer land to the organisation for its activities.

He called for support from all Ghanaians to ensure that the programme succeeded to boost food production and reduce hunger in the country. 24 Jan. 07